All I do is chop up some fresh ginger root (about a 1 inch piece) and steep in boiling water for 5-10 minutes. I strain out the ginger and add a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of honey, and I drink it up.
Usually I start to feel better right away, and by the time I'm done with the tea my throat feels just fine. I absolutely believe that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and I try to take care of things naturally if at all possible and nip sickness in the bud before it has time to take over. Of course if I do get sick and my ginger tea isn't enough to kick it, to the doctor I will go.
In addition to natural remedies, I try my best to stay as healthy as possible by eating lots of fruits and veggies, making green juice at least a few times a week, and getting in some regular exercise. Since I gave up meat and cut way back on dairy a few years ago, I have not been knocked out by illness and I really think my lifestyle changes have helped.
Do you have any special tips for staying well during the winter months?
~Tammy
Shared with Sunny Simple Sunday, Tweak It Tuesday, Eco-Kids Tuesday, Backyard Farming Connection Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Wildcrafting Wednesday, Le Chateau des Fleurs, Home Sweet Home, Farm Girl Blog Fest, Down Home Blog Hop, The HomeAcre Hop, Backyard Farming Connection Natural Health Remedies, Creative Things Thursday
That sounds really good! I usually make hot tea with a teaspoon of honey. My mom always made that for me when I was little and I always believed it to be some sort of magic cure - so now I make it for my guys when they're under the weather!
ReplyDeleteI like elderberry syrup, and extra garlic at meals.
ReplyDeleteI can't do ginger anymore. I got an aversion to it during my first pregnancy, when I tried to use it for morning sickness!
Stay the blazes away from anyone brandishing a flu vaccine for one! ;0)
ReplyDeleteI have been using hot water first thing in the morning for a few months now, and it really clears out the sinuses, so no junk can clog me up. Honey is SO soothing and good for you, especially if it's raw. Glad you're feeling better!
I will most definitely try this the next time I have a sore throat.
ReplyDeleteTammy, I've gotten in the habit of washing my hands thoroughly after I get home after being out in public. I try to avoid antibacterial soap though-as I think it's been over used in the past few years, and I stick to using a plain old bar of regular soap.
ReplyDeleteI think your advice about eating lots of fruits and veggies and getting some exercise is so wise, too!!
Love your photo. I agree with you about ginger being a wonderful thing for sore throats and colds. Also, I think the honey is very healing. I still take apple-cider vinegar in water with honey a few times a week to balance the acid in your system. That helps many things, too many to list.
ReplyDeleteLots of sleep is a must and drink lots of water.
I totally agree on the cutting out of dairy. I started to eat significantly less dairy last January, and this past December I cut it down to just the cream in my coffee. Now, there have been occasions where I have had a little cheese, and I get headaches and other problems arise pretty quickly. So, I am trying hard to not eat it at all.
ReplyDeleteI am a big believer in raw apple cider vinegar and raw garlic :-)
I will have to give it a try during the next run at a cold. The garlic would also have a positive side effect of keeping any vampires at bay! :-}. Maybe I'll just try the ginger and honey first.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I like that honey pot. We've been sick two winters in a row now, several times each season. ick
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing a-ok now.
Tea and honey, ginger...they work for me. I'm pretty healthy and my hubby (who seems to get sick every Winter) swears by the apple cider vinegar and pom juice every morning. Oh and soup - lots of yummy soup! Feel better friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your ginger tea recipe - it sounds yummy and with the added benefit of being healthy- love that! Hope that keeps you from getting sick. I thought I was getting sick a couple of times this winter, but it never amounted to anything and for that I am grateful. I am with you - eating healthy, fresh air and exercise are my tricks. Also, I use the sani-wipes when I go shopping on my grocery cart handle and avoid people who are coughing and sneezing. Take care! xoxo
ReplyDeleteWe don't usually get sick around here...we eat as healthy as we can...lots of soups this time of year...Don swears by apple cider vinegar and a giant spoonful of local honey every morning. I record Dr Oz...and see what natural things we can do to stay healthy and fit...I garden and walk every day too! Hope you feel better!!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the ginger/honey tea, I'll have to try that! Thanks for stopping by and your sweet comments on my farmhouse table.
ReplyDeleteI love ginger tea and agree that it is very therapeutic! I am your newest follower. Stop by our cottage when you have a chance. Bentley and I will look forward to seeing you.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Susan and Bentley
Having a sore throat is no fun! But I like your tea! I also include garlic and zinc when I start feeling a cold and use olive leaf tea instead of ginger. But I will try ginger, too! It is a great anti-inflammatory so I use it when my Fibromyalgia acts up.
ReplyDeleteBless you,
Susie
don't take the kids to daycare... they always get sick & bring it back home for everyone! =0
ReplyDeletethen again, my daughter is grown, so that's not the case anymore. i don't like taking meds, either, so i do what i can to keep from getting sick, but if a 'bug' slips by me & i DO get sick, I take Zicam nose spray - it opens the sinuses right up! =)
I love ginger tea too with honey, and it's great to know it works on sore throats! Thanks for sharing it with us!
ReplyDeleteGreat photo Tammy, I totally agree that ginger and local honey is a great home remedy. Homeopathic is our first response as well and I don't eat meat either. What can I say since cutting out meat I have become a cheese freak (the only dairy I have) which is why i neeeed goats lol. Fresh clean fruit and veggies daily gives us all good health. I hope you feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteMy health tips? Breathing in as many germs as I can to build resistance. Kidding! Though sometimes it does feel that way. Someone was asking me something about my energy level the other day and I said, "I can't afford to not have energy, so I try to eat semi well." And today I was talking with Andy about although nothing can make up for lost sleep, that's may be my way of life for a short bit of time right now, so I need to give myself every opportunity by eating healthy and exercising. Totally agree with your view that prevention - as much as we can do so - is ideal (and a time saver, woohoo!!)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience with the ginger/lemon tea with honey! I've drank it a few times but I think I've used too much lemon and honey in mine. I'll need to work on the amounts because I generally don't like to sweeten hot tea and mine was too sweet. I've read this recipe many times and it seems to really work. We use raw garlic as it knocks everything back but it makes it difficult to go out in public! :)
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better. If you add some garlic to that ginger mixture, it will be even more powerful!
ReplyDeleteGinger root...? You buy it in the store? I want to give this a try.
ReplyDeleteWe haven't had a cold, sore throat or anything in over 2 years...aren't we blessed !! We take a vitamin every day, wash our hands constantly and, really, I think, because we are retired and don't really get out a lot, we aren't exposed to illness like when we both were in the work field.
Hope your beloved chickens are doing good thru these winter months...:)
xo bj
I load up on vitamins too when I feel a cold coming up. Ginger tea is a great warming drink and soooo good for a sore throat or an upset tummy.
ReplyDeleteI like drinking this also. I hope you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteI find being extra careful when venturing into town (washing hands,) has helped keep sickness as bay.
ReplyDeleteI make an echinacea tincture and add that to a cup of peppermint tea when I feel something coming on. I'm also a huge fan of Fire Cider (it takes about a month to macerate though so definitely a make-in-advance type of remedy). I steep my ginger tea for 25 minutes to make certain it's good and strong, then gently reheat. In addition, make ginger tea with a qt. of water and 2 lemons and either honey or stevia, keep it in the fridge and add a shot of soda water (or the like) on a hot summer day. Yum!
ReplyDeleteLots of vitamin D also may work (sun if possible), even though it's recommended for bone health, it is also used in the maintenance of several organ systems as well as the immune system.
ReplyDeleteHubby has been having trouble with allergies recently. I wonder if the ginger and local honey would help build up his immune system? If nothing else, it should help his congestion! :)
ReplyDeleteI adore your guinea fowl photos... I have one left
ReplyDeleteHe's called angostura
( he's bitter)
I have no tips this winter has been killing us. Lol. The kids get a lot of viruses from school. You are my kind of girl. I have the resolution to do what you are doing and cuting meat and dairy to 5%. I find the exercising part harder with the baby. Loving your blog. I used to have a farm and plan to buy a house soon and raise chickens again :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for visiting. Xo
Isabelle
www.lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com
Great post ~ Ginger tea is so good for many respiratory ailments ~ be well ~
ReplyDeleteCarol of: (A Creative Harbor) on Blogger ^_^
I am going to print this girl !!!!!! LOVE it as always !!!!!!! Hope that you join me in the picture project .. .ONE pic a day .. we got this sister LOL >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> TOODLES
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my whopper illness last week, I was making a similar tea but only had crystallized ginger in the house. Not sure if that makes a difference in the healing powers, but it tasted good!
ReplyDeletei'm going to have to pin this one! i keep airborne in my cupboard for these things but i'm willing to give this a go!
ReplyDeleteAwesome!! I am going to try this. I like holy basil tea for colds too!
ReplyDeleteI love ginger tea! I agree with you that diet has a tremendous effect on the body's ability to stay healthy. Prevention is key!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the compliments :) you are so sweet. You know I would love if you link this post or other to my link party Monday! I am sure my readers would enjoy visiting your blog.
ReplyDeleteXo
Isabelle
Have a super day!
www.lechateaudesfleurs.blogspot.com
I love ginger tea. B
ReplyDeleteI so agree with you on this. Preventative measures and natural remedies are definitely the way to go. Too many people rely on pills to fix everything these days. Sadly, the pills just mask the symptoms and don't really cure anything. I'm really enjoying reading The China Study. The professor who wrote the book believes that high protein is directly linked to cancer growth. Hard to get my husband to believe that as he would never give up meat. I don't buy it or serve it at home, so he only gets meat from outside (at restaurants) -- I tell him how lucky he is that I make healthy, homemade meals and really care about what goes into my food. We just read that there's been bacteria and salmonella found in local frozen chicken and milk here. I've not yet given up dairy completely but hearing what goes on with the food supply these days makes me lean more and more in that direction. For a late dinner (we were out visiting friends) I had sliced apple, peanut butter and green tea (normally I would have a bowl of cereal). One of my favorite teas is lemon ginger -- has a real zing to it. Best wishes to you, Tammy
ReplyDeleteNatural remedies are so wonderful! Thanks for sharing your post with us at Eco-Kids Tuesday. Hope to see you back today! http://likemamalikedaughter.blogspot.com/2013/02/melt-my-heart-eco-kids-tuesday.html
ReplyDeleteI love this idea. I have been coughing a lot with my cold and last night I took 2 tsp. of honey and that finally got me to sleep. It works way better than cough syrup! Thank you for joining Home Sweet Home!
ReplyDeleteSherry
I wondered how to make fresh ginger tea. Not being a ginger fan, I have never tried it but we have has several colds go through this year. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing on The HomeAcre Hop, Tammy!
ReplyDelete